The Love Shack
by dietcocacola101
Summary: James didn't want to but he had no choice. After losing your job, you don't have a whole lot of options. That's how James Potter ended up living in an apartment with his brother, along with Albus's boyfriend, Scorpius Malfoy. Problem? James and Scorpius couldn't detest each other more. Not to mention that other family members have decided that they want to move in, too. AS/S slash
1. Chapter 1

**The Love Shack**

It was truly a strange sight. Not every day do you see a twenty-two year old man strolling through the streets at nearly three in the morning, levitating his trunks filled with all of his possessions. Not to mention he was cursing under his breath. The man had been doing a lot of cursing the last couple of weeks.

The man's name was James Sirius Potter.

A month ago, James had been sacked. A month ago, James had a stupid, pointless job at the Ministry that he hated. But it was a stupid, pointless job that paid the bills. So now the job was gone, the money was gone, and since his landlord found out about the lack of money, his apartment was gone too.

He couldn't move into the Burrow or back in with his parents - he couldn't live with the shame. Lily and Hugo were still living with their parents (James couldn't understand this at all; the moment he had graduated from Hogwarts he had practically fled his parents' house in search of a place of his own, and more importantly, freedom), Rose was living with her boyfriend, and Fred was living at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (he was sleeping under the counter, to be exact).

So that left only one person: Albus.

Normally, going to Albus for help wouldn't have been a problem, but lately there had been...a complication. James's stomach flipped unpleasantly at the thought of it. James quietly slipped inside the lobby of Albus's apartment building and checked on the mailboxes for the apartment number with the name Potter on it, and set off to find it. His stomach filled with more dread with every step he took towards apartment 2A.

You see, Albus had come out of the closet in his sixth year. That part of the story, James had no problem with. He didn't mind gay people - hell, he thought they were funny. The part that James resented was who Albus had chosen to be his boyfriend. And James came face-to-face with this person when he knocked on the apartment with a gleaming 2A on the door and someone answered the door. A blonde-haired, pale-skinned, pointy-chinned someone.

"Oh, it's you," James huffed. He had been expecting Albus.

"I could say the same about you, Potter," said Scorpius coolly.

James opened his mouth to retort but at that moment, a drowsy Albus called from the bedroom, "Who's at the door, Scorp?"

"Just another one of you _darling_ family members," Scorpius called back and James could hear footsteps as Albus advanced closer. He wanted to go meet his brother but stupid Malfoy was tanding in the doorway, blocking the entrance.

"Which one?" Albus called again, sounding more awake now but not quite in view.

"The one that hates me."

"They all hate you, Scorp, you're going to have to be more specific!"

"It's you brother, Al. James is here."

Albus was running now and quickly appeared in view. "What are you doing here, James? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Now can you let me in? I've been walking for ages and I want to sit down."

"Er - sure," Albus said as he and Scorpius stepped aside. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Tea would be nice."

"I'll go make some," offered Scorpius and then slipped into the kitchen. To an outsider, this would look like a nice gesture but all three men knew that this was an excuse for Scorpius to get away from James as quickly as possible.

"So, what are you doing here?" asked Albus, and Scorpius listened intently as James explained his situation. Scorpius could feel James's eyes on him as he prepared the tea so he couldn't spit in it, much as he would have liked to.

"...so I need to stay here for a few weeks. You know, just until I get back on my feet. I won't be here long," James was saying as Scorpius handed him his tea and sat down next to Albus on the couch.

"How long is a few?" Scorpius asked. "Three weeks? Four?"

James took his time sipping his tea before answering him: "Damn, Malfoy, this tea isn't bad. And three or four weeks sounds about right. Maybe longer."

James smirked as Scorpius winced at those last two words. He hated the idea of living with Scorpius but seeing that Scorpius hated the idea even more than he did filled him with immense satisfaction.

Albus and Scorpius exchanged glances. Scorpius cocked an eyebrow and Albus nodded in agreement. "Well, if you're going to stay here, we have a few conditions."

"I reject all of them," said James simply. He fought back a smile as Scorpius scowled. Albus just rolled his eyes.

"You'll follow our rules if you want to stay here, James. If that's not okay with you, then you can leave."

It was James's turn to roll his eyes. "Whatever. Where's the guest room?"

"There's three of them. Pick any one you want," said Albus, getting to his feet. Scorpius followed suit.

James thought that a large apartment with four bedrooms was way too big for two people (who sleep in the same bedroom, he might add) and he pointed this out to them.

"Those rooms are for family and guests," Albus said and then added, "You happen to be both."

"And we might want to have kids someday," added Scorpius and Albus smiled.

"Alright, well, your future lovechild will have to wait because I'm taking the biggest bedroom," said James, his trunk bumping along behind him as he walked inside. The room was almost as big as the master bedroom and the bed looked especially large and comfortable. The only problem was that the walls were painted bright yellow. He hated yellow - it reminded him of Scorpius's hair, which reminded him of Scorpius, who he didn't like.

James settled into the bed and heard the creaking as Albus and Scorpius got into their bed across the hall. James was just drifting off to sleep when he heard it again: _Creak. Creak. Creak._ He could hear the bed rocking back and forth, he could hear Albus panting and Scorpius moaning. James's stomach flipped over in disgust and he pushed the pillow over his head to try to block out the noise of his little brother and his boyfriend having sex.

But it didn't work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm sorry about such the long wait – I hope I haven't lost any readers because of it! The reason it took so long to update is because I wrote out the second chapter and I was just about finished with it…and then I decided to totally re-write it. Sorry about that! Anyway, here it is! I hope you enjoy it!**

James awoke the next morning to an empty apartment. Not that he minded – he did _not_ want to look at the pair of them after what he heard last night – but they could have said goodbye. They could have at least told him where they were going. It was nearly two in the afternoon when he woke up, and after eating an entire box of Pop-Tarts, James wrote to Fred, telling him to come over.

It was strange. Al and Scorpius were wizards but they had Muggle things like a television and fellytone – no, _telephone_ – (inwardly, he cursed himself for not paying attention in Muggle Studies) and he just couldn't understand why wizards, his Granddad Weasley excluded, would want to meddle with Muggle stuff when they could use _magic._ By the time Fred arrived at the apartment it was after four and James had finally figured out how to use his brother's fancy shmancy TV.

"Merlin, Freddie, what took you so long?" he asked while flipping through the channels.

"Some of us _work,_ James," the ginger replied. He sat down on the couch next to his cousin and scratched his balls. "God, this new underwear is fucking _itchy_…so what is there to do for fun around here?"

"Nothing, man! You'd think with all of his Auror money, Albus would have bought something entertaining," James gestured to the expensive, yet boring apartment. "But then again, he _is_ living with Malfoy."

Scorpius Malfoy himself Apparated into the apartment over an hour later. At first the blonde and the two cousins just stared at each other. Then Scorpius cleared his throat: "I see you've invited a friend over, James. Will he be staying for dinner?"

Grimacing at being addressed as if he was five years old, James answered, "Yeah. Is there a problem?"

A muscle in Scorpius's jaw twitched. He looked like he would have liked to scream and rage at the both of them but he calmly said: "Of course not. The more, the merrier." He quickly departed to his bedroom and departed minutes later, having changed out of his dorky work clothes into a wifebeater and sweatpants. The men did their best to ignore each other. Scorpius started making dinner while James and Fred watched television. Scorpius hummed to himself while he cooked while James and Fred continued to watch television. Scorpius finally broke the silence when dinner was on the table, cooling.

"Is that what you've been doing all day?" he asked.

"So what if it is?" James snapped, turning up the volume on the TV.

Despite the roaring coming from the TV, Scorpius's volume never wavered. "Albus and I didn't let you live here so you could sit on your ass all day."

"What do _you_ recommend I do with my day then, Malfoy?" bellowed James, trying to make his voice heard over the television.

Meanwhile, Fred was just awkwardly sitting there during the argument.

"Looking for a new job might be a smart idea." Secretly, Fred admired how Scorpius could speak so slowly and calmly and still get under James's skin. "Now if you don' mind, I would appreciate it if you would turn the volume down. I have neighbors." Scorpius turned his back to the both of them and said, "Dinner is ready."

Their dinner of steak and cheesy potatoes could not have been more awkward. Scorpius was calmly and silently eating, not to mention pretending that James wasn't glaring daggers at him, who was chewing his food with such force that he bit his tongue a few times, but James didn't flinch, not even when he tasted blood. Fred was still awkwardly sitting there.

When Albus came home from work, they were just finishing up and nobody was speaking.

"Hey guys," Al said, slowly after kissing Scorpius hello. "Who died?"

"James's dignity," Fred teased. He knew how much his cousin must hate it that he lost an argument to a Malfoy. Despite James being his best mate, he still liked to watch him squirm from time to time.

"Bugger off, Fred!" James snarled and then turned to Albus. "I want to talk to you…privately." He shot a nasty look in Scorpius's direction.

Albus nodded at Scorpius in approval and the two brothers stepped into a vacant bedroom so they could speak privately.

**Xxx**

It's such bullshit," James remarked sourly. "I'm his brother! I'm _family!_ Family always comes first, right? But _nooo,_ stupid Albus takes stupid Malfoy's side. And get this, he tells me to be nice to the git!"

"You _do_ realize that you're being hopelessly immature about this, right?" Rose Weasley asked, raising her eyebrows.

After James had lost yet another argument (this time to his baby brother) he had cussed out everyone in the apartment and hastily left to have coffee with his second favorite cousin. He would have invited his favorite cousin along but Fred had been too busy roaring with laughter at the whole situation, the bloody traitor. Of course, James knew he was being immature but Malfoy _provoked _him! It wasn't fair that he was being told to be nice to Malfoy but Malfoy wasn't being told to be nice to him.

"I'm aware," he replied coolly.

"I was just making sure," Rose said smirking. "But you have to be _careful,_ James. I'm serious."

"Why?"

"Really? I have to spell this out for you?" she asked and when James nodded, sighed. "It's no secret that Scorpius hates your guts and the only reason he's letting you live there is because you're Albus's brother. One wrong move and Scorpius is going to tell Al to kick you out on your ass."

"Malfoy hasn't got that much power over him!" James cried and the other people in the small coffee shop turned to stare at him. He flipped them off.

"It's not about who has more power in the relationship, J. It's about who Albus will pick if he has to choose between the two of you. And to give you a hint, it's not going to be you."

"So what do I do? Can't I come live with you and Devon?" he asked desperately.

"Sorry, but it's a no go. Devon has this thing where he hates you," Rose said and grinned. "You seem to have that impression on a lot of people. You're just so _charming_ that way."

"Oh, shut up."

"Why don't you just go live with your parents for a while? I'm sure they won't mind."

"I don't want them to find out that I lost my job, okay?"

"Why? They won't care. Everyone has been sacked sometime in their life."

James sighed. "Because I'm the screw-up of the family."

Rose's eyes widened with a gasp and James was suddenly very reminded of his Aunt Hermione. "Oh, James, they don't think that!"

"Yeah, but _I_ think that." He shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. I told Albus and Malfoy that I quit so you and Fred are the only ones that know the truth. I'll just get a new, better job and _then_ I'll tell my mum and dad what happened."

"You mean, you'll tell them your version of what happened," Rose corrected him.

"Well, yeah," he said lamely.

He really did feel bad about lying to his family but he liked the "I quit my job out of self-righteousness and then found a job that I like much better" story a lot better than the "I got sacked and had to grovel at my brother's feet so he would let me live with him until I can find any job that will have me" story. James explained all of this to Rose and she snorted.

"I really doubt you _groveled_ at Albus's feet."

"I said please. That's like groveling for me."

"Well, you'd better start groveling at Scorpius's feet. I'm telling you, J, you have to be nice to him if you want to live there."

"You hate Malfoy just as much as I do! Why are you taking his side?" a frustrated James cried.

"I'm not taking sides; I'm simply offering you a piece of advice. And I do not _hate_ him, we've just never exactly seen eye-to-eye."

"Oh, please. You're still pissed because Malfoy tied your O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. scores," James said. Rose ignored this.

"I have to meet Devon for lunch in ten minutes," Rose said, throwing a few Sickles onto the table to pay for her coffee. "Remember what I said, J!" She waved goodbye to him before turning and leaving the shop.

Feeling disgruntled that he had just been ditched for Duck Faced Devon; James forked over a few Sickles of his own and left the shop as well. From Scorpius to Devon, his family members seemed to have bad luck in picking partners that were worthy of them. With this in mind, James made a mental note to tell his dad to keep a close eye on anyone Lily wanted to date.

After thinking long and hard about Rose's advice, James had come to a horrible conclusion: he was going to have to start being nice to Scorpius.


	3. Chapter 3

James didn't understand how, for a Ministry of Magic so big, there were no jobs available. After his little chat with Rose, he kicked himself into gear and spent every day trying to find any job that he was qualified for but he had failed to find any. After a bloody _month_ he hadn't found a single damn thing. And the fact that everyone else in his family had important, high-paying jobs wasn't helping. Albus was an Auror, Rose was a studying to be a Healer, Lily was a journalist for the Daily Prophet, and even Scorpius was a wandmaker's assistant. Sure, he was an _assistant_ and sure, James hated the bloke, but even he had to admit that it paid well and was more impressive than he had ever accomplished after leaving Hogwarts.

Another thing he didn't understand was how Weasley's Wizard Wheezes didn't have any job openings. He had been pestering and pestering Fred to help him out and get him even the _shittiest_ job at his dad's shop, but his cousin insisted that they had all the help they needed. "The joke shop might be old but it's still as popular as ever. People are dying to work here," he kept saying.

But the worst part was that as long as James was unemployed, he had to keep living with his brother. And as long as he had to keep living with his brother, he had to continue being decent to Scorpius, which was _not_ easy to do. Both Albus and Scorpius had been impressed with James's behavior towards the blonde so they extended his stay but James wasn't sure how much longer he could keep being nice to the git.

James thought about all this over a plate of Scorpius's delicious French toast (the one thing he would miss when he moved out would be Malfoy's cooking) and awaited the arrival of his little sister. His parents were going to a bed-and-breakfast over the weekend so Albus offered to let Lily stay with them over the weekend. James loved his sister – he really did – but he was not looking forward to her stay. She was going to mock him for not having a job all weekend, he just knew it. As if he didn't take enough shit from everybody else on that subject…

"More," James grunted, holding out his empty plate to the blonde across the table. It was one simple word so it couldn't be counted as rude, even if James had meant it as a command. Scorpius didn't reply but obeyed James's wish. Ever since the older Potter boy had started being decent to him, Scorpius had been trying to be decent back. But as much as James hated being nice to Scorpius, Scorpius hated being nice to James even more so he usually just ignored him. This was fine with James.

Scorpius served more French toast to Albus as well, who thanked him and then went back to reading _The Daily Prophet. _The three men ate breakfast in silence until a buzzer sounded, meaning that Lily was in front of the building and waiting for someone to let her in. Albus rushed down to do so – Lily Potter did not like to be kept waiting.

"Hello, boys. Never fear," she threw up her arms, sending her purse and handbag flying. "Lily is here!"

James couldn't help but smirk. He always knew how his sister liked to make a dramatic entrance, or just be dramatic in general.

"Hey, Lil," he said, giving the redhead a hug after she was done squeezing the life out of Albus. James was surprised to admit that he had actually _missed_ her.

"Hi, James!" she chirped and then scanned the room for the last person to hug. "Scorp! How _are_ you!?"

Scorpius looked surprised at being greeted like family. He and Lily had never said more than two words to each other. "I'm fine. How are you?" he replied, awkwardly responding to her tight hug.

"Much better now. Seriously, I love Mum and Dad but they've been driving me _crazy_ the last few months. I think we just need a break from each other. So tell me, what is there to do for fun around here?"

"Merlin, Lily, you just walked in the door. Don't tell me you're bored already," Albus cried as Scorpius picked up her fallen bags and levitated them (and her suitcases) into the spare room next to James's. "Besides, Scorpius and I have to work. You'll just have to spend the day with James."

Lily quickly agreed. James had to admit, the day wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. They visited Fred at work, met with Rose and, to James's despair, Devon, and walked around Diagon Alley, reminiscing from when they were kids. They talked about what was going on in their lives and James was very relieved to find out that Lily did not currently have a boyfriend.

"So, I didn't get a chance to ask," Lily began, slurping her ice cream cone like a child. "What do you think of Scorpius? Is he good enough for Al?"

"He's an asshole," James spat out before he could stop himself.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Really? He seemed nice when I met him this morning."

"Just wait. He's awful. I can't even describe it."

James couldn't understand how _anyone_ – Albus, Lily, and Fred, for example – could think Scorpius was nice. He was a foul git who didn't deserve to breathe the same air as anyone in his family. James's whole body pulsed with hatred every time the blonde popped up in his head.

He broke his vow that night during dinner by being as foul to Scorpius as possible. Albus and Lily looked shocked (and in Al's case, angry) at his sudden change in behavior but James had a plan. He was going to provoke Malfoy so he would be foul to him back and Lily would see what an awful person he was. But it didn't fucking work. Scorpius ignored him the whole time and to make matters worse, he and Lily really hit it off. If he didn't know the pair of them, he would have thought they were best friends.

And quite frankly, he was pissed off. With Albus being his boyfriend, Fred striking up an unlikely friendship with him, and Rose refusing to admit that she hated him, James had no one to bash Scorpius with. He had been looking forward to doing it with Lily and now that was ruined. Merlin, Malfoy ruined _everything!_

James stormed off to his room right after dinner and Albus went to bed early because he had to work the night shift that night so that left Scorpius and Lily to do the dishes. James wasn't the only one who was pissed off – on the inside, Scorpius was seething but he did a better job of hiding it than the Potter boy. He didn't want to give James the satisfaction of knowing that his hurtful words bothered him.

Lily seemed to be the only person in the apartment not angry at anything. In fact, she was giddy. She had been so nervous about meeting Scorpius (_really_ meeting Scorpius, not those awkward hellos they exchanged when Albus introduced him during Christmas a few years back) because everyone in her family disliked him and then she had been even _more_ nervous after James warned her earlier that day. She had expected Scorpius to be the devil in disguise from the way her brother had described him but was delighted to find out that she had just found her new gay best friend. Every girl should have one.

After watching Scorpius clean up the dishes with a flick of his wand, Lily cleared her throat. "Hey, Scorpius, I have something to ask you."

"Ask away," he responded as he scrubbed the kitchen table with a rag much harder than was necessary. He needed _something_ to focus his anger on or he was going to explode.

"Well, Rose and I have this bet going on. It's – it's nothing, really. We were just wondering, between you and Albus, you know, who's…on top." Scorpius looked up from wiping the table and chuckled.

"Where did this come from?"

"We were just wondering. You see, _I_ think that you're on top because you're taller, more muscular, and seem more dominant. You're also louder and more passionate about things while Albus is quiet and thoughtful. But Rose believes that Albus is on top because he has a stronger mind and you are caring and more sensitive. We bet fifty Galleons on it."

"Fifty Galleons? Merlin, that's a lot of money for some pointless bet," Scorpius commented.

"We know. At first it was just a couple of Sickles but we kept arguing about it so we kept tacking on more money as time went on." Lily noticed that the fact that she and her cousin had been discussing his private sex life seemed to amuse Scorpius rather than upset him. "So, which is it?"

Scorpius thought for a moment before answering. "Al and I switch off. But," he paused. "I'm bigger so I would have to say that I'm on top more than he is."

"_YES!_" Lily squealed with delight. "I can't wait to see the look on Rose's face when I tell her she owes me fifty Galleons! I just need to keep winning bets so I have enough money to get my own place."

"Why are you still living at home? I've been meaning to ask."

Lily shrugged. "Being a starting out journalist doesn't pay as well as you would expect."

"No, I suppose not."

"It's so nice here." Lily gestured to the apartment. "I wish I could live here with you guys. Paying rent with other people might not be so bad. Hugo and I always talked about sharing a place but it never happened."

"Believe me, I'd much rather have you live here than James," said Scorpius, rolling his eyes at the thought of him.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah."

* * *

Albus Potter came home from his night shift the next morning totally exhausted and looking forward to crawling into bed next to Scorpius. He certainly didn't expect to walk into his apartment to see that Lily had moved in all of her stuff. Furious at her nerve – she was only staying with them for two days! – he woke her up only to find out that Scorpius had given her permission to move in with them.

"I did _not_ tell her she could move in!" the blonde cried when questioned about it. All of the sleepiness was gone from his eyes when Albus told him the story.

"Well, she seems to think you did."


	4. Chapter 4

Between Lily Potter and Scorpius Malfoy was the king of all misunderstandings. Apparently when Scorpius said that he would rather have her live here than James, the youngest Potter had thought this was an invitation to move in. As much as Scorpius liked Lily, he certainly didn't want her to move in. He was already counting down the days until James moved out – he didn't want _another_ of Al's siblings to live with him and take up his space.

But Lily wanted to live there and, as much as Albus hated to admit it, Lily always got what she wanted. She pulled out all the tricks, too: she got all teary-eyed and complained about how Mum and Dad were 'stripping her of her freedom' and promised that she would pay rent (which was more than James was doing). Even if Lily did annoy him at times, Al did love her so he agreed to let her stay.

Scorpius didn't dare tell Albus but he was a little bitter about this. How long would it be before Al invited his whole damn family to stay with them? Their apartment was big but it wasn't _that_ big. Since James and Lily were staying with them, both Fred and Hugo were coming over nearly every day and they almost always stayed for dinner. He didn't like Albus's family and they didn't like him and they never interacted – he had liked it that way.

Another person who had liked it that way was James. When Lily moved in, he started to panic. It had been a month and a half since he started living with his brother and he had still failed to find a job. His stay was long overdue and he knew that everyone was wondering when he would move the fuck out. And then his darling sister made his situation even worse by inviting his _parents_ over for dinner at the apartment. Lily insisted that it would be fun and that Mum and Dad wanted to see where all three of their kids were living but James suspected that, despite her reasons, she was only doing this to torture him.

The only person that hated the idea of Harry and Ginny coming over for dinner more than James was Scorpius. Scorpius and Al's parents had never gotten along for some reason and now Scorpius was stressing over their visit far more than was necessary by cleaning every inch of the apartment, slaving over dinner, and snapping at anyone who put their feet on the couch or ate in the living room. James didn't like the guy but he was starting to fear that Malfoy would have an anxiety attack before his parents even arrived.

Scorpius seemed to be thinking along these same lines because he pulled Fred and Hugo aside just as they were about to leave and asked them to stay for dinner.

"Isn't it supposed to be a family dinner?" asked Fred, cocking an eyebrow. Ever since the first day Fred hung out there, he and Scorpius had gotten on well and Fred enjoyed teasing him sometimes.

"You're family, aren't you?" Scorpius snapped.

"Well, yes. But you don't need to be so touchy."

Scorpius sighed and glanced at the clock. Al's parents would be here in ten minutes. "Sorry. But I _really_ need you two to stay for dinner. Please?"

Both Fred and Hugo were shocked. Not at what Scorpius was saying, but how he was saying it. Neither of them had ever seen him beg before. Hugo asked, "Why? What's the big deal?"

"This whole night is going to be a train wreck, I can feel it. I need you guys to stay and lighten the mood. If there's anybody who can do that, it's you two."

"I don't know, Scorp. We're both pretty busy…" Fred trailed off but Scorpius just rolled his eyes.

"Cut the shit. You're not busy so just tell me what you want."

"I want to live here," Hugo said immediately and both men gaped at him. "What? I love my mum but she's driving me mad. And besides, I'm getting sick of Rose teasing me about still living at home. So, I want to move in."

Scorpius had a constipated look on his face as he wrestled the options inside his head. He didn't want _another_ one of Al's damn family members to live there but at the same time, he desperately needed them both to stay for dinner to avoid all the awkward moments. And maybe if Fred and Hugo were there, they'd be able to distract Albus's dad from how much he disliked him. He choked out, "Fine," and then turned to Fred. "And you? I'm assuming you want to move in as well?"

Fred chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. I like coming over to eat your food and watch your TV for free too much to pay rent. I want you to set me up with this girl." Fred reached over and plucked a picture off the coffee table of Scorpius and a pretty brunette grinning at the camera.

"My _cousin?_" Scorpius growled.

"Yeah. She's seventeen, right?"

"Just barely! Marissa had her birthday last month."

"So she's legal! Great!" chirped Fred and then laughed at the look on Scorpius's face. "Relax. I'm not going to molest her or anything; I just want to take her to dinner."

Scorpius opened his mouth to argue but there was a knock at the door and Albus rushed to answer it. "Shit! Okay, fine, I'll owl Marissa tomorrow and Hugo, you can move your stuff in over the weekend. _Now go sit down!_"

The two redheads sat down at the dinner table while all three of the Potter children greeted their parents at the door.

James, Albus, and Lily were all shocked when they saw that Fred and Hugo were still there but Harry and Ginny were delighted.

"I didn't know you two were going to be here! Al, why didn't you tell us?" Ginny asked as she hugged both her nephews.

"I – er – " Albus stammered.

"He wanted it to be a surprise," Scorpius explained, extending his hand to Harry and they shook hands. "The more, the merrier, right?"

James was impressed how Malfoy was able to be so calm and sure of himself now when he was having a panic attack not five minutes ago.

Throughout the dinner, both Fred and Hugo couldn't help but feel that their presence wasn't needed. Sure, they cracked a few jokes here and there but nothing more. Scorpius seemed to be doing well on his own. Little did they know that their presence at the dinner table was doing exactly what Scorpius hoped it would: it changed the night from an awkward dinner that everybody wanted to end quickly to a group of people talking and laughing over good food. And for that, Scorpius was extremely grateful.

He was beginning to think that maybe Albus's family wasn't so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

It was such a weird sight. Nobody from the Potter-Weasley clan had ever seen it before. Some found it amusing, others found it sad, but most of them found it frightening. It seemed silly for them to make a big deal out of something that seemed so small, but it was a big deal for them. None of them had ever seen Albus and Scorpius fight before.

It happened a week after Hugo moved in.

Every day Scorpius gets home at exactly five o' clock, just in time to start dinner. Albus arrives home sometime around six with food already on the table. On a Friday evening, a hungry and exhausted Albus got home at 6:15, finding the kitchen empty.

"Where's Scorpius?"

"Hell if I know," James said. He, too, was used to eating dinner by now and was making up for the blonde's absence by sucking down pretzels.

Al's older brother was the only other person in the apartment, seeing as the other occupants were all still at work. Albus watched television with his brother for a half hour before he finally got up and started dinner. At this point, he was starting to get worried. Scorpius was almost two hours late – where was his boyfriend?

Scorpius arrived home a little after eight, after everyone else had already finished eating Al's crappy dinner. He came home looking tired and worn-out. "Hey, sorry I stayed so long at the shop. Konohelmsson wanted me to stay late to improve my wandmaking," he explained, referring to the wandmaker he was an assistant to. Scorpius leaned down to give Albus a kiss but Al was ignoring him and refusing to turn his head. Scorpius pecked Al lightly on the cheek and asked him what was wrong.

"Why didn't you tell me you were staying late at the shop?" Albus asked coolly, finally turning to look at his boyfriend.

James, Lily, and Hugo were all pretending to watch the TV but all three were actually watching the two men arguing. They had never seen Al and Scorp fight before and to them, this was better than any Muggle program.

"I did. I sent an owl to your office. Didn't you get it?" Scorpius asked.

"Obviously not."

"Well, it's not my fault you don't check your office for mail before you leave."

Albus sat up straighter on the couch and glared at Scorpius. "Are you saying this is _my_ fault?"

"It isn't anyone's fault," said Scorpius calmly. "This whole thing is just a misunderstanding. Let's just forget about it, okay?"

Albus's features softened and he nodded. "Okay."

"Good. So who made dinner? I'm starved," Scorpius said, heading for the fridge.

Lily, sensing that the fight was over and it was okay to speak, said, "Albus did and it's _awful._ Don't eat it, Scorp, I'm serious."

Al glowered at her but before he could reply, Scorpius plucked Albus's butchered spaghetti out of the refrigerator, sniffed it and then playfully teased his boyfriend for his horrid cooking skills.

Except Al didn't think it was very funny. He might be quiet and sensitive most of the time, but he was perfectly capable of being fiery and a bit frightening, like his mother. He snapped, "Well, if you had been home on time then I wouldn't have had to do the cooking for you!"

At first, the three bystanders on the couch thought that this commented hadn't fazed Scorpius. The blonde just cocked an eyebrow and put the spaghetti back in the fridge. They knew he was pissed when he opened his mouth: "I'm sorry, Al, that for in the four years that we've lived together, you had to make dinner one night. How very insensitive of me."

Albus jumped to his feet in anger. "That's not the point!"

"Then what is, Al? Please tell me what is making you so upset, if it isn't your awful cooking," Scorpius said with a smirk and gestured to the spaghetti.

Scorpius's sneering and sarcasm seemed to be making Albus angrier than if he had yelled. Albus seemed to be struggling to stay calm. "Don't be such an ass, Scorpius. We split the chores and you got cooking for a reason. I'm angry because you were three hours late and I didn't know where the hell you were."

"That was _your_ fault, not mine."

"YOU COULD HAVE SENT AN OWL TO THE APARTMENT TO MAKE SURE I GOT IT! YOU COULD HAVE OWLED ANY OF MY SIBLINGS TO MAKE SURE THEY TOLD ME WHERE YOU WERE! IT – IS – _NOT_ – MY – FAULT!" Albus bellowed.

"I'm sorry if I didn't obsess over making sure you were aware of my whereabouts. I assumed that sending an owl to your office would suffice but I guess I was wrong. Probably because you never leave at the same bloody time," said Scorpius, annoyed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that sometimes you get home at six, sometimes you get home at six-thirty, but all of the time you get home whenever you ruddy feel like it. I never know when to expect you or how long I should wait to start dinner. It's _annoying._"

Their fight went on for several hours. They went from arguing about Albus's punctuality to Scorpius's snarkiness to Albus's family to Scorpius's attitude toward Albus's family. Sometimes they yelled and sometimes they calmly spat insults at each other. Lily went to her room and locked the door and even Hugo and James, who found the fighting funny at first, were starting to wish the pair would stop arguing and make up already.

Darkness fell and the pair eventually went to bed. Or rather, Albus got into the cozy double bed while Scorpius curled up with a blanket on the couch. Everything was awkward and silent. Everything felt wrong. And for the first time in a month, James was actually disappointed not to hear the creaks of Albus and Scorpius's bed from across the hall.

In the morning, James got up and met Fred at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to tell him all about Albus and Scorpius's fight. Rose showed up there too so he ended up having to tell the story twice. By the time he was finished the second time around, Fred and Rose both looked concerned and upset. Their faces mirrored exactly how James was feeling.

"I have a plan. The both of you meet me here after my shift ends at noon," Fred said with a deviant glint in his eye.

"Why? What are we going to do?" asked Rose. She seemed uneasy and concerned about what her cousin was planning.

"Oh, nothing bad. We're just going to get Al and Scorpius to stop being prats and make up." When he received strange looks from both James and Rose, Fred shrugged and said, "What? I don't want them to be all pissy when I hang out there. Besides, I like Scorpius. I don't want them to split up over something stupid like this."

James hadn't even thought about the possibility of the two splitting up. No matter how much James hated Scorpius, he knew it would kill his brother if the two broke up. And James loved his brother.

"Alright, I'm in."

The plan took place the next day when James and Fred convinced Albus and Scorpius to go out for dinner, which wasn't very hard since neither Potter nor Malfoy was willing to make dinner. Lily and Hugo had been informed about the plan and even Rose decided to get in on it.

James hoped that the plan wouldn't have to take place because Scorpius and Al would make up before then, but this was not the case. Even at dinner the two were hissing insults at each other.

The plans that James and Fred came up with were too far-fetched and dangerous so Lily and Rose took it upon themselves to come up with the plan. It was simple, really. The whole gang was going to go out to dinner and James was going to do what he did best: insult Scorpius. But this time he would go to the extreme: be obnoxious, make a scene, and yell out to everyone that Scorpius is a whiny, mooching fag. No matter how angry Al was at his boyfriend, he would never let James publicly humiliate Scorpius like that. Albus would yell at James and come to Scorp's rescue, and the two would forget about the fight and make up.

Even James had to admit it wasn't a bad plan.

So there they were, at the restaurant. James had been throwing insults at Scorpius all night and Albus hadn't said a word to defend him but no worries, Al would have his chance at the grand finale.

"So, Malfoy, what's with your _job,_ man?" asked James loudly. People from several tables away were starting to stare. "Four years out of school and you're still an assistant? That's just pathetic."

"Bugger off, James. You don't even have a job," Scorpius snapped back.

"Yeah, because I quit out of self-righteousness. It might be time for you to do the same."

"Screw you. I like my job."

James felt a bony elbow in his side (Lily's) cueing him to make a scene and he jumped up, knocking his chair to the floor and slamming his fist on the table. "'I like my job.' _Ha!_ That's a laugh! I bet you only take that job because Konohelmsson is the only person who will let…your kind work for him."

"My _kind?_" Scorpius repeated angrily.

"I bet that's why you're still his assistant, isn't it?" James plowed on. "Because you're a fruitcake?"

The whole restaurant was staring at him now. Some looked amused, some looked appalled, some looked disgusted. But no one reacted as strongly as the jackass sitting at the table next to him. The guy swaggered over to them and elbowed James in the ribs with a wink.

"I know what you mean, buddy. Queers shouldn't be allowed to take our jobs when we have families to support – "

"Gays have families to support, too!" cried Scorpius outraged.

" – and we work for it!"

"We work hard, too!" yelled Albus.

"What's the matter, small fry? Getting ticked because someone had the courage to point out the truth?" the guy sneered at Albus.

It took every ounce of willpower for James to not beat the shit out of this guy but he had to play his part correctly. The plan was to get Albus and Scorpius to make up, not to land James in Azkaban for assault.

"Don't talk to him like that," Scorpius snapped, getting to his feet.

"Or you'll do what?"

"You don't want to know."

Scorpius reached into his pocket for his wand. Albus stood up as well and put a hand on Scorpius's arm to stop him. "Scorp, no. It's not worth it."

James, Fred, Lily, Rose, and Hugo were all too furious at the man to be delighted that their plan was working.

Scorpius made to reach for his wand again but once again, Albus stopped him. "I'm serious, Scorp. Just ignore him."

"Yeah, sit down, faggots."

James grabbed the guy by the collar of his jacket and pounded his face with his fist. "DON'T YOU _EVER_ CALL THEM THAT AGAIN!" he bellowed. He kept hitting the guy until he was escorted from the restaurant by security, his family in tow. He expected them to yell at him for embarrassing them – because that's what he was used to – but instead, they all raved about how the guy deserved it. Especially Albus.

"James, you stood up for us!" he cried, his eyes welling up with tears.

"I stood up for _you,_" he corrected.

"No, you said 'Don't ever call them that again,' not 'him' and not 'Al' – _'them'_." Those tears started to pool over as Albus crushed James into a hug. "You stood up for my boyfriend!"

"Merlin's beard, fine. I stood up for Scorpius too. Are you happy now? But it's only because I've decided that I don't like the word 'faggot' very much anymore. That's it."

And for some reason, that worked. James punching some ignorant stranger in the face made Albus and Scorpius instantly forgive each other. James Potter works in mysterious ways.


	6. Chapter 6

Scorpius Malfoy really hated the wintertime. Despite Christmas and New Year's being around the corner and his birthday in February, he just couldn't fathom why so many people adored winter, when it was freezing cold and his heating bill was going up. Winter did, however, have its perks. For one, Al loved winter. He loved buying Christmas presents and decorating the apartment and cuddling by the fire and drinking hot chocolate. Al was always in a good mood during the winter and he felt bad for ruining it.

James had found a part-time job at the Leaky Cauldron but was still living in the apartment with them. It had been over four months since he moved in and he didn't seem to have any intention of leaving. Every time Scorpius brought it up, James said the same thing: "My Leaky Cauldron gig is just temporary until I find a real job. I don't make enough money to live on my own. Now stop asking, asshole, I'll move out when I'm ready."

Scorpius appreciated how James had stood up for him and Al in that restaurant back in September but after that incident, James had been even harder to live with than before. With James being a git, having to deal with an apartment full of people, and the winter approaching, Scorpius was happy to get good news from his boss. And he insisted on taking Al to dinner to tell him the news. Now that five people were living in the apartment, the rent was a lot cheaper and Scorp had a lot of extra money. He took Albus out to an expensive restaurant and offered to pay for his meal but he knew it was a lost cause – Albus hated it when he bought him things because he said it made him feel like the girl of the relationship.

"No, I can pay for it myself," Al said stiffly as they sat down at their table.

"Suit yourself," said Scorpius as he opened the menu. Snow was falling outside and he was glad to be inside the warm restaurant.

"So why the sudden rush of affection?" Al teased and Scorpius looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we never do stuff like this. Why do you want to take me out to dinner and be all romantic all of a sudden?"

Scorpius contemplated the statement before setting down his menu and replying, "Okay, you caught me. I have news."

Albus perked up. "News? What news?"

"I'll tell you after dinner, okay?" said Scorpius and picked his menu back up to study the choices.

* * *

Scorpius was taking his time eating the remains of his pork chop while Al, whose plate was empty, stared at him intently. Finally the blonde took the last bite of his dinner and Al pounced, "So what is it? What's the news?"

"Hold up just a minute. I'm not finished yet. Do you think we should get dessert?" Scorpius asked and his boyfriend glared at him.

"No, I don't think we should get dessert. Now you tell me this 'news' before I get really impatient," the raven haired boy said, narrowing his eyes.

Scorpius sighed and pushed his empty plate away from him. He gently intertwined his fingers with Al's and Al grew nervous. "Oh no. It isn't bad news, is it?"

"No, it isn't bad news," Scorp said with a chuckle.

"Are you – are you going to _propose?_ Damn it, Scorp, we talked about this!"

"Al – "

"You had better not propose, you _arse,_ or I swear I'll hit you – "

"Al. Shut up, okay? I'm not going to propose. I remember our agreement," Scorpius cut him off, remembering their pact that if they were going to get married, it should be a mutual agreement and not one springing the idea upon the other.

"What is it then?"

"Konohelmsson made me an offer this afternoon and I told him that I wanted to run it by you before I gave him an answer," Scorpius began slowly and he could feel Albus's grip on his hand begin to tighten. "He wants me to go with him to America to study wandlore."

Albus's eyes widened and he had to fight the urge to say, "I thought you said it wasn't bad news." Instead he forced a smile and said, "Wow, Scorp. That – that's great." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "For how long?"

"A year. Konohelmsson wants me to leave this summer. That way I'll have six months to study and prepare."

"Wow," was all Al said. He didn't know what else to say.

"I know a year is a long time," said Scorpius, "which is why I want you to come with me."

"W-what?"

"What we have – our relationship – it's too important to risk losing. But I know you would want me to go." Al had to admit that this was true. As much as he would miss Scorpius, he wouldn't want to hold him back from such an amazing opportunity.

"What about my job?" Al asked weakly.

"I'm sure you could find a case that's stationed in America. Aurors do cases all over the world, right? James, Lily, and Hugo could take care of the apartment while we were gone," said Scorpius and then he thanked the waited when he came by to give them their check. "Just think about it, okay? You don't have to decide right now."

Al nodded, numbly, and didn't even protest when Scorpius paid for the entire meal. He was quiet the entire ride home and the two men went to bed as soon as they got home. Al laid awake long after he could hear Scorpius snoring next to him and eventually got up to make a cup of warm milk. Scorp thought it was disgusting but Al always thought the beverage was pleasant and helped him sleep. As he waited for it to heat up, he tried not to think about the offer his boyfriend had made him but trying not to think about it just made him think about it more. Being alone finally made him comfortable with panicking and admitting to himself how scared he was. He had just started to cry when he heard a voice behind him ask, "Al? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing, James, everything is fine," he lied quickly and wiped away his tears as his older brother approached him.

"Don't pull that crap with me, Al. I'll ask one more time: what's wrong?" James asked, sitting down next to him at the kitchen table. He looked like he had been lying away, worrying, as well. Al told his brother everything that had happened that night and did his very best not to cry during. When he was done explaining, James let out a low whistle and said, "Whoa. I guess Malfoy's job is more impressive than I thought, huh?"

"I guess so."

"Okay, so this is a big deal. I get that. But why were you crying?"

Al looked at him curiously. "Because I don't know what to do. I'm scared."

James thought it over for a long time. Al was sure that he was going to tell him to ditch Malfoy and stay here but he was surprised: "I think you should go."

"What? Why?" Al asked shocked.

"You and Malfoy aren't going to get an opportunity like this again. I know you're going to miss everyone here but you'll only be gone for a year. And there are plenty of ways to communicate: owls, Floo Network. You'll regret it if you don't go. Besides, you can go to _America!_ See the world! It'll – it'll be great for you guys."

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"Shut up, Al."

"No, I'm serious. Why are you acting like a decent human being all of a sudden?"

James rolled his eyes. "You know, I'm not a _complete_ arse. I do want you to go out and experience new things. You're my brother and I want what's best for you."

"Dude, stop being all caring. It's freaking me out."

"Whatever. Just go tell your boy toy the good news. I'm sure he'll be happy to have you all to himself for a year."

Al grinned. "Yeah, I bet he will. Thanks, James." He grabbed his milk and hurried to the bedroom, accidentally splashing the liquid all over the floor on his way. James rolled his eyes and cleaned up the mess with a flick of his wand. Al would always be silly and clumsy and happy-go-lucky. He wasn't worried about America 'changing' his brother. Al was the one person that he counted on to stay exactly the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone's first words on Christmas morning were remarkably similar, and each one directed at Al Potter for trying to get them out of bed at dawn to open presents.

"You are such a child," Scorpius said and then rolled over and immediately fell back asleep.

"Go away, Al. It's too early," James said and threw a pillow at his brother.

"The _birds_ are just waking up, man. We'll open presents later, freak," Hugo said and then buried his head under his pillow to block out the birds' chirping.

"Oh my God, Al, _get out!_ Don't you have any sense of privacy? Besides, I can't get up now. I'm getting my beauty sleep – not that I need it, of course, but it's just a saying," Lily said and then shooed Al out of her room.

Albus knew that it was early, but it was _Christmas,_ for Merlin's sake! Isn't everyone supposed to be excited and full of Christmas cheer? He started to feel sad but pushed the negative feeling away. No matter. He had enough Christmas cheer for the lot of them.

Albus spent the rest of the morning sorting each person's presents into individual piles, softly playing Christmas carols and baking cookies. He wasn't such a great cook but he had paid attention when Scorpius and his grandmum used to bake cookies and he was sure he knew what he was doing.

The first one to wake was Hugo, and only because he could smell the chocolate chip cookies from his room. He went back to sleep once, after many jinxes sent in his direction, he got it through his head that Albus wasn't going to let him have any.

Around ten o'clock, Al started to watch Muggle Christmas specials. He had to admit, he had low expectations but they were actually quite good. Scorpius woke up when he was halfway through "A Year Without A Santa Claus" and received a hex in the ass when he tried to take a cookie.

"Ow! Merlin, Al, what was _that_ for?" cried Scorpius, rubbing his left butt cheek.

"You can't have any until everyone wakes up. That's the rule," said Al.

"Says who?" Scorpius teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Says me. I made them so I make the rules."

"Fair enough," he said and then studied the cookies. "I have to say, Al, these look pretty good. You made them all by yourself?"

"Thank you, and sure did. But don't think that your compliments will make me let you have a cookie early because they _won't._"

"Can't I give you a compliment without you thinking I have some kind of evil motive behind it?"

"Apparently not."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and sat down next to his boyfriend on the couch. He decided to change the subject: "So what is this crap, anyway?"

"A Muggle Christmas special, and it's not _crap._ It's good and I like it," Albus said coolly and Scorpius could tell that he had annoyed Al again so he cuddled him and kissed him until he was forgiven.

"Okay, okay, stop!" Al cried, giggling as Scorpius nuzzled, and planted kisses on, his neck. "You're making me miss the movie!"

"It's not a movie if it's only an hour long."

"Oh, shut up."

The pair kept snogging on the couch and Albus was just about to suggest that they move it to the bedroom when Lily, Hugo and James emerged from their rooms, dreary-eyed and cranky. Until…

"Ooh, cookies!"

Albus was pleased to know that his cookies did a lot to cheer up his siblings, cousin and boyfriend. After they had completely demolished the cookies, all four were in the mood to open presents! Maybe the secret to Christmas spirit is food. The gang opened their presents and they all got everything they asked for, and then Fred and Rose stopped by to wish them a merry Christmas. With all of the only part of the family he hangs out with, Scorpius proposed that he and Al should tell them the big news now. Everyone in the room eagerly waited to hear what he was talking about: what big news?

"Oh yeah, I already told them you guys are going to America. Sorry, guys," James said between bites of chocolate chip cookie, and then burped.

Scorpius face palmed and Albus groaned.

"Jaaames! You ruin everything!"

"Why? You never said it was supposed to be a secret!"

"It – it was _implied!_ God, you should have known that we'd want to tell everyone ourselves!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that if you didn't say anything?"

While James and Albus were arguing, Scorpius used this as the perfect opportunity to pester Fred. He had been getting pretty tired of seeing Fred and Marissa feeling each other up in front of him every damn day. "So this is the first time in weeks that I've seen you without my cousin glued to your side. Bravo."

Fred rolled his eyes. "She's spending Christmas and the rest of break with her parents before she has to go back to school."

"Oh. Well, good. She should be with her family."

"Speaking of family, shouldn't you be with yours?" Fred asked curiously.

Scorpius just shrugged, but privately he was thinking that he already was.


	8. Chapter 8

James couldn't decide which he liked better: Christmas or New Year's. On Christmas you get presents but on New Year's you get beer…and lots of it. Not to mention he gets to participate in the annual prank war after being banned for five years for shaving off Fred's pubic hair while he was sleeping and gluing them to his face. He still couldn't believe that he had been banned for _that._ What a bunch of pansies.

But the best part was that Scorpius was coming this year, which meant he was participating. That meant he was fair game. He had tried to get Fred and Hugo to help him come up with an amazing prank but they both turned him down because Scorpius was their _friend._ Then Hugo had the nerve to say, "But you and Scorpius are friends, too, right?"

"_No,_ you blockhead! Just because I've been a little nicer to Malfoy than usual doesn't mean we're bloody friends! I hate him."

"Why? He's nice."

James had to leave after that. It was getting incredibly hard to resist the urge to punch Hugo in the face and he didn't want any hard feelings at the New Year's Eve party.

Why did everybody think Malfoy was such a saint? Or maybe he was a good guy and James was just prejudiced? Guilt washed over him but he pushed it aside. He couldn't have his stupid feelings getting in the way of his prank.

The five people living in the apartment Apparated to the Burrow on New Year's Eve around nine. They were going to leave earlier but Lily insisted on changing her outfit three times. Bloody women.

They were the last ones to arrive (Lily said they were fashionably late) and Grandmum Weasley cooked them up some more food since it had all been devoured before their arrival. It was a good thing, too, because he hadn't eaten all day to save room for his grandmum's cooking. It was better than Malfoy' and that was saying something.

Malfoy was polite and dressed nice and he laughed at all of James's uncles' lame jokes. Malfoy knew that Al's family wasn't too fond of him so he always kissed their butts whenever he had the chance. James allowed himself to stop hating on Malfoy for a second to pay attention to Rose. He noticed that his second favorite cousin was here alone and he felt like he was missing something.

"Hey, Rosie. Where's your Siamese twin?"

She gave him a sad, tortured look instead of her usual stern one and he knew something was up.

"Devon and I had an argument and we split up," she said quietly.

"Damn. What happened?"

"It was stupid, really. We were arguing about a new girl who was coming to work for him."

"You got jealous?" he guessed.

"No, actually. I asked him a few simple questions like what her name is and how old she is and then he accused me of being jealous. We got in this big fight and I finally convinced him that I wasn't jealous of Shannon. And then he got angry because I _wasn't_ jealous."

"Merlin, there's no pleasing this guy."

Rose laughed grimly. "Yeah, you're telling me."

"So you two are broken up? For good?"

"Well, he kicked me out so yeah, I'd say so."

"_What?_ He kicked you out? That bastard kicked you out?"

"But he can't! You paid more than half of the rent at that place! That's not fair!"

"I know it isn't fair and I know it sucks but there's nothing I can do," Rose said firmly. His cousin had never been a complainer. "And wipe that stupid smirk off your face," she added. "I know you didn't like Devon but you can at least _act_ sympathetic."

"Sorry."

"Merlin, it's like you people have no decency. Dad practically threw a party when I told him. He didn't even pretend to be sad."

James could tell that Rose was cranky so he quickly retreated. Rose might not complain but she definitely lashed out at unsuspecting bystanders. He didn't want to be her unsuspecting bystander of the night. He mingled and made small talk with random relatives, biding his time until the time was right. He had to wait until Scorpius was talking to one of his parents, preferably his dad. Ginny had always been willing to give Scorpius a chance but Harry wasn't as trusting. The prank would work better if it was with his dad.

Merlin, it took forever for Scorpius to finally talk to Harry. Malfoy was probably more afraid of James's father than he was letting on. When they finally did speak, Albus was there to make things less awkward, like James had expected. Now was the time to act. He grabbed a fresh beer and strolled over to his dad, brother, and victim.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Dad's just telling us about a case he and Uncle Ron worked a couple weeks ago," Albus replied. His brother started to say something else but he interrupted him with a loud yawn.

"James, you look tired. Have you been sleeping well lately?" Harry asked, switching to Concerned Parent Mode. Again, just like James had expected.

"Not really. My sleeping schedule has been crappy since I moved in with Al," James said, rubbing his eyes for a better effect.

"Why?" asked all three men. Harry sounded curious. Albus and Scorpius sounded suspicious.

"Er, maybe I shouldn't say. I wouldn't want to embarrass anybody," he said, pretending to be uncomfortable, and getting the reaction he wanted: Al and Malfoy seemed to be trying to decide if they were more curious or more suspicious.

"What is it? Just say it, James," said Harry.

"No, just forget it. I should never have said anything."

"Merlin's beard, James, just tell us!" Scorpius cried and Al nodded in agreement. They were definitely more curious now.

"Well, er, I can hear you two, um, shagging at night. My bedroom is closest to yours and the walls are pretty thin…" Albus blushed fiercely, Scorpius was sputtering with rage, James was pretending to look ashamed, and Harry suddenly looked really angry and uncomfortable.

"James! Why would you say something like that in front of Dad?" Albus scolded, looking hotly embarrassed.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I was shagging before you were even born!"

"DAD!"

"This is about the whole prank war thing, isn't it? You said that in front of Mr. Potter on purpose, didn't you, James?" accused Scorpius, and Albus and Harry turned their attention to them.

"James, you _just_ got back in the prank war. Do you really want to be banned again?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes. Nobody seemed to care about Albus and Scorpius's sex life anymore and they were more focused on James's pathetic attempt at embarrassing them.

"You're going to kick me out for _that?_" James cried.

"If you keep it up," said Harry.

James pouted, and Scorpius and Albus exchanged victory glances and then the whole charade was over. The night wasn't much fun after that. Man, James just couldn't catch a break.


	9. Chapter 9

Today was the day Albus had been dreading. He had been dreading the dinner with Scorpius's parents since he was informed about it last week. He loved Scorpius to death but his dad scared him and his mum made him uncomfortable. He always felt like Scorp's parents didn't want him there and that he wasn't good enough for their son.

He put on nice clothes when he got home from work and waited on the couch for Scorpius to get home (Konohelmsson had been keeping him late). He tried to watch TV but he couldn't stop thinking about the anxious knot in his stomach so he shut it off and sat in silence.

It was stupid for him to be this nervous. He was a _grown man,_ for Merlin's sake! His boyfriend's parents were nothing to be afraid of, but he couldn't help but be terribly afraid of them anyway.

There was a _crack!_ outside the door and he heard someone jamming their key into the lock. The knot in his stomach tightened up again and he nearly threw up. Great, Scorpius had arrived home from work. That meant they would be leaving for an awkward dinner just that much sinner. However, it wasn't Scorpius who walked through that door. It was James.

"Oh thank God!" Albus cried, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Huh?" James asked.

"Nothing. It's just – I thought you were someone else."

"Oh," his brother said and then crossed the living room to get to the fridge. Before he got there, he turned around and came back. "What's with the monkey suit?"

"This?" Albus gestured to his uncomfortably nice clothes.

"Yeah, duh."

"Scorp and I are having dinner with his parents tonight."

"_What?_ If Malfoy is having dinner somewhere else, who's going to make _my_ dinner?" James cried. Albus smiled at the thought of what his older brother considered a crisis.

"Relax, I'm sure you can get a pizza or something," Al consoled his brother and then went back to being nervous. James noticed…after he spent ten minutes cleaning out their fridge.

"What's bugging ya?" he asked with a stuffed mouth and sat down next to Al on the couch.

Albus scooted away from him. "Get away, you'll get dip on my shirt."

"What's bugging ya?" James repeated, ignoring Al's last statement.

"It's nothing, really. Don't even worry about it."

"I'm already worried about it. Tell me." James dipped a chip into the _Sour Cream and Onion_ dip and, like he had predicted, flicked some onto Al's shirt. Al wiped it away with his finger.

"I'm worried about tonight."

"What, the dinner with Malfoy's parents? What for? They love you, don't they? _Everybody _loves you," James replied, his mouth so full of chips that Albus had to ask him again and again to repeat himself. James cleared his throat and said forcefully, "I _said,_ why are you nervous? Don't Malfoy's parents adore you like everybody else?"

"They _don't,_ James. I feel, I dunno, unwelcome. I feel awful saying this, but I don't want to go tonight. I _really_ don't want to go."

"Then don't go," James replied with a shrug. Albus sighed. To James, everything was so easy, all solutions were simple. It didn't always work out like that for everyone else, unfortunately.

"I have to."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"Why? Because Malfoy has commanded it? Since when does _he_ call the shots?"

"No, it's not like that," Albus explained, shaking his head. "Scorpius comes to our huge family dinners and he has to kiss _every_ member in my family's ass all the time, and he does it all for me. How much of a selfish ass would I be if I refuse to have _one_ dinner with his parents?"

"Hmm, I see your dilemma," James said, drumming his fingers on his chin. James opened his mouth to offer advice but Scorpius Apparated into the apartment and quickly got dressed. Albus was waiting nervously on the couch while his boyfriend changed, vaguely wondering where James went. He had been on the couch next to him just a minute ago…

Scorpius emerged from the bedroom looking more stunning than usual, and Al was too focused on looking at him to notice that he did not look at all pleased. Scorpius cleared his throat and Al tore his gaze away from his boyfriend's body to look at his face.

"Yeah?"

"I'd like a word," Scorpius said stiffly.

Scorpius looked pissed and Albus couldn't figure out why. He had been perfectly fine this morning. More than fine, actually. He had been freaking upbeat that morning. Why the sudden change in mood?

"What's the matter?" Al asked as soon as the two men entered their bedroom and Scorp shut the door behind them.

"James just told me something rather interesting a few minutes ago. Were you ever going to tell me that you didn't want to spend an evening with my parents?" Scorpius interrogated, his voice cool and unsympathetic.

Albus groaned. He couldn't believe James had ratted him out. Some brother he was. "Listen, Scorp, it wasn't like that. I was just nervous about tonight and I told James about it. He must have interpreted it wrong."

"That wasn't what I asked, Al," Scorpius said, his voice becoming so cold and his glare so intense that Albus was sure he was trying to evaporate him with his mind. "Were you ever going to tell me that you didn't want to spend an evening with my parents?"

"No," Al replied.

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to be selfish. I know everything you do for my family for me and I didn't want to be ungrateful –"

"You're damn right you're being selfish and ungrateful. I have to spend time with your family every time a cousin has a birthday or an anniversary or a _party,_ for Christ's sake! And you know what? Your family isn't that fun! _There!_ I said it!"

"Scorp, I'm sorry –"

"I even let your family stay here! They don't even pay rent half the time and they never cook dinner and they use up all the minutes on our telephone! They're _awful_ roommates but I put up with them for you!"

"I KNOW!" Albus bellowed and Scorpius clammed up, looking shocked at the smaller boy's outburst. Al took a deep breath and started again, "I know, I do, and I appreciate it. Your parents make me a little uncomfortable but I can deal with it. Let's just go, okay? You know how your mum gets when we're late."

Scorpius looked hesitant, like he wasn't sure if Albus was serious, but eventually took the bait. "Alright, but when we got home we have to have a conversation about your brother."

"Why, because he told on me? It's not a big deal, really –"

"No, because he always seems to get in the way."

"Get in the way of who?" Al asked cautiously.

"Of me, and of us. We've been fighting more than usual lately and eighty percent of it is because of James, whether he tries to start fights or not. If James is coming between us, I'm not sure I want him to live here any more."


	10. Chapter 10

"What the hell do you mean, you want me to move out?!" James bellowed, and Albus flinched. He knew James wouldn't take the news well.

"Relax, James," Scorpius said calmly.

James turned to glare at him. "This was _your_ idea, wasn't it, Malfoy?"

"As a matter of fact, it was. Yes, yes, I know, everything is my fault, so you can skip the rant."

James did not skip the rant. Then again, Scorpius hadn't really expected him to. James went on to say that everyone in his family disapproved of Scorpius, that he was holding Albus back, and that his (James's, not Scorpius's) life had gone to shit ever since the two got together.

Scorpius was used to James's little rants and did not care in the least. He was used to them by now. Albus, however, was pissed.

"_This_ is what we're talking about James!" he shouted, interrupting James mid-sentence. James was shocked – he is clearly not used to being interrupted mid-rant. Scorpius assumed that his family members just tune him out and let him babble.

"What do you mean?" asked James.

"Oh my God, you really don't know? You _always_ say shit like this and I'm sick of it! I understand if you don't like Scorpius but you don't have to be a dick about it! I don't want to hear about how much you hate my fiancé _every_ damn day –" Albus started to rant, but was also cut off mid-sentence.

"Wait, wait, wait," James said slowly. "You two…are engaged?"

Albus paled. He hadn't meant to spill the beans, it just came out. Damn it, why is it always _him_ who lets the cat out of the bag?

"Er – yes," Al said and James gaped at him. "Scorpius brought it up at his parents' house the other day. We had a long talk about it and, er, decided it was a good idea. Nobody knows yet; it's not really official."

"So, uh, is that why you guys want to kick me out? You want me out of the way so I won't ruin your marriage? A marriage that is doomed from the start, by the way."

Scorpius couldn't tell if James was trying to be funny or not, and did not have any time to ask because Albus blew up on him again, screaming and raging about how he can never take anything _seriously_ and to stop making so many goddamn jokes that aren't even _funny_ and to, most importantly, stop taking shots at Scorpius.

"– sake, James, everyone else in the family has made peace with him! Everyone else living in the apartment is friends with him! Why can't you just be decent to him!?"

"Al…Al, it's not that big a deal. Really, I'm used to it," Scorpius said.

"It _is_ a big deal! He treats you like shit and I'm tired of it! I know you won't say anything, so I guess I'll have to!" Al cried, fuming, and turned back to James. He was fully prepared to yell again but James held up his hand to stop him.

"I get what you're saying, Al. There's no need for more yelling. I'll move out, okay? I'll move back in with Mum and Dad or bum around with Fred at the store or something. I'll find something. I'm sorry for trying to ruin whatever you guys have, and I'll leave. Have fun in America and have a nice wedding and have a nice_ life._"

Albus rolled his eyes. "You always do this. You piss me off and then when I get mad, you make me feel bad. Well, it's not going to work this time, J. You were wrong and now you have to face the consequences. You've lived with us much longer than you said you would, so your stay is long overdue, anyway."

"I _said_ I would leave, so you don't have to make me feel worse, you arse. I'll pack my bags in the morning," James said and then muttered, "Merlin."

James was true to his word. By the time Albus and Scorpius got up the next morning, all of James's things were gone and he was nowhere in the apartment. James had moved out.


	11. Chapter 11

_Dear __Malfoy__ Scorpius,_

_Hey, man. I know we've never really gotten along and I know that's mostly my fault, but just hear me out. If you're still reading this letter, and haven't thrown it away yet, thanks. I want to say something to you that I should have said a long time ago: I'm sorry. I know this would be a lot more touching or whatever if I said this in person, but I'm not allowed at the apartment and I have no idea what you do for a living, so…yeah. A letter it is, I guess._

_I've been thinking about it a lot and I'm sorry for everything I did to you while we were at school. I know this is way too late but better late than never, right? I know, I know, leave it to me to be all sorry after I've been kicked out but it's not about that. I don't care if you don't want me to live with you any more – I really don't. I just want you, Al, and me to be on good terms. And I want to wish you luck on your trip to America and hope you'll invite me to the wedding. It would really suck if I missed it._

_It's weird, you know? I hated you for so long and then I move in with you and find out you're…nice. You're not a piece of scum like I assumed your entire family was, and like I tried to make you out to be. You're a good cook and you let me eat your food and park my ass on your couch for months when I didn't have a job and hadn't said a nice word to you in years. Thanks for that._

_I'm not sure why I was still a jerk to you when I moved in. I think it was because you weren't the person I wanted you to be when I got to know you. You were a good guy and I didn't want that. That's why I kept pushing your buttons to get you pissed. If you acted like an arse back to me, it was easier to hate you._

_I've put more thought into this letter than I put into my N.E.W.T.S. so you should feel pretty damn special. Here's another thing: you were right to kick me out. I stayed longer than I said I would (I had planned to) and was pushing my luck. I think this is the first time in my life that I've ever admitted I was wrong. Okay, maybe not the first time (that's a little bit of a stretch) but it's definitely been a while. Nobody is right about everything all the time. Not me or you or anybody. Not even Rose, even though she likes to think so. Ha._

_I've hated you for as long as I can remember. I used to think it started at Platform 9¾ when I saw you for the first time, but now I'm not so sure. I think it started before that. See, my parents told me about everything that happened in the Wizarding World. I'm sure yours did too. I didn't like your dad in the story my dad told. I was a kid and I didn't know what to do with that hate so I put it on you instead. I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry for all the names I used to call you in school: freak, ugly, useless, nerd, geek, loser, etc. And I'm sorry for calling you "Death Eater's brat" every day for six years. Your first few years at school couldn't have been easy, with the whole school hating you almost as much as me, and I'm sure I didn't help at all. To be honest, I hated you so much it scared me sometimes. I was bullying you for something that had nothing to do with you and that wasn't fair. I don't know why I didn't say any of this sooner and I'm not sure why I'm saying it now. I don't know what made me come to senses, but I'm glad I did._

_Oh yeah, and another thing. I'm sorry for being an even bigger arse to you when you came out of the closet during school. This never seemed like a big deal until I thought about it recently. I remember telling Al that it was okay to be gay and that I would love him the same and then carving the word "Fag" into your books the next day. Sorry for being a hypocrite and sorry for making your life hell._

_I don't really think your and Al's marriage is doomed, by the way. I was pissed when you guys wanted to kick me out and I wanted to hit you where it hurt. Like I said before, I hope you still invite me to the wedding and I hope you accept my apology. Al, too. I don't want my kid brother to hate me for much longer._

_My time for groveling is done now, thank Merlin. I heard that you let Fred move in a day after I moved out. Real classy, guys. Ha, just kidding. Just don't let him screw up my room. I'm living at Fred's shop for the time being, if you care, but I might have to move back in with my mum and dad. It sucks, but don't feel sorry for me. Worry about Al and your job and your wedding. Well, uh, bye._

_-James_

_P.S. I don't hate you any more, in case that wasn't obvious. I'm willing to make an effort at getting along if you are._


	12. Chapter 12

"This is really pathetic," Albus said as soon as he had finished reading James's letter to Scorpius. Scorpius tried to resist showing him the letter, but failed miserably. He couldn't help from telling Al everything. When Scorpius didn't answer, Al asked, "Don't you think?"

"Oh, I don't know. It was actually a bit touching," Scorpius replied.

"You're kidding, right?"

Scorpius shrugged and put on his reading glasses before he read over the letter again. The two men were lying in bed on a Sunday night. It was nearly midnight and Albus had been just about to go to bed when Scorpius informed him about the letter he had received two days earlier.

Albus made a strange noise that sounded something like a mix between a sigh and a growl. Scorpius reached for the letter but Al swatted away his hand like a fly.

"Al, come on. Let me look."

"I'm not finished!"

"Yes, you are. Give it back!"

"No!"

"It's mine!"

Scorpius had to roll on top of the smaller man and wrestle it from his grip. He pretended to be angry, but it was actually taking every ounce of willpower he had to not bust out laughing. Only with Al he could argue like a little kid and wrestle on the mattress. He would never be able to do things like that with someone else.

He pointedly refused to look at his fiancé because he knew he was getting the puppy dog eyes. Instead, he focused on reading and re-reading James's letter. He had been pleasantly shocked when he first read it and felt the same now. It would have made a big difference to Scorpius's teenage self if James had said all that to him while he was growing up but the fact that he was making an effort now was good enough for him.

"Scorp, can I see the letter, _pleeease?_" Albus begged.

"Why? What are you going to do with it?"

"Burn it."

Well, at least he was honest.

"Albus! Can we please be mature about this?" Scorpius asked.

"Since when are you all for maturity? You've been bad mouthing James for as long as I can remember," Al pointed out.

"Well, I want to be mature now, all right?"

"So," Albus paused, trying to think of how to word this. "you're thinking about forgiving James?"

"I already have."

"That's not what I meant. Are you going to talk to James again and accept him into your life?"

"I already did. I had lunch with him yesterday."

"_What?_" Albus yelped. "Why – when did you – how could you – _what?_"

"I – had – lunch – with – James – yesterday," Scorpius said slowly and clearly.

"Don't speak to me like I'm an idiot!" Albus cried and Scorpius chuckled. "Don't laugh! I can't believe you didn't tell me! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you would act like this! Now, do you want to hear what we talked about or not?"

"Yes! Of course I do. I won't yell at you any more, I promise."

Scorpius knew that he could torture Albus with the information for a while longer, but didn't feel up to it tonight. Besides, he had already gotten him to agree to be nice when he was in a cranky mood. He didn't want to push his luck any further.

"I owled James after I got his letter on Friday and told him to meet me for lunch. We went to some hot dog stand and talked things out. He apologized again and I said he could come to the wedding."

"Oh. Well, that was nice of you, I guess."

"I also said he could move back in if he wanted," Scorpius added nervously. He could practically hear the couch calling to him from the living room. His luck had officially been pushed.

Albus groaned. "_Why?_ Why would you tell him that?"

"I felt bad! And he was saying all of these really nice things and I felt like _I_ had to say something nice, too."

"But we already have too many people living here! Besides, I don't want James to live here."

"Why not?" Scorpius asked. "Why is it that when I want to forgive James, you suddenly hate him? What's going on?"

"You haven't had to stick up for James's actions your whole life, Scorp. Even when we started dating, I stood up for him instead of standing up for you. I feel like I put you second. And it's like, now that I'm finally putting you first, it's too late. I just want to feel like I'm sticking up for you a little longer, you know?" Albus explained, fiddling with the buttons on his night shirt. "I feel like I've let you down all these years."

"You could never let me down. Never. Now, how about we call your idiot brother and tell him to move back in?"


	13. Chapter 13

Gathering Potters, Weasleys, and Malfoys and putting them all in the same church together just sounds like a bad idea. It sounds like drama and chaos and mass destruction. All right, maybe not the last part but you understand the idea. But, to both of the grooms' surprise, their families were very well-behaved. There were a few small incidents – their families were too different not to have any – but nothing that couldn't be sorted out with apologies and awkward humor.

The wedding of Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and Albus Severus Potter was small and quiet and entirely planned by their mothers. Only family and a few close friends attended and, to everyone's delight, they kept the ceremony short and sweet. The reception, however, lasted for hours and provided large quantities of alcohol.

James did not have a drop of it. Al insisted on it because he didn't want his brother to get drunk and do something stupid and make him regret inviting him. Oddly enough, James was not at all bothered by this. He didn't even try to hit on any of the girls he wasn't related to. He was just happy to be invited to the wedding.

He was even happier to be invited back to the apartment, even after Albus and Scorpius left for America and the rent was more than usual. Saying goodbye to his brother was harder than he expected. He had never gone more than a few weeks without speaking to Al and now he had to wait a whole year. Rose told him to look at it on the bright side and that at least he and Al had ended things on good terms. It would seriously suck if Al had gone to America while he was still pissed at him.

James even made an effort to like Scorpius in the few months before they left. He found that Scorpius was actually quite enjoyable to be around and a suitable husband for his brother. It seemed like it was more of an effort to hate Scorpius than it was to like him.

Being close to his family made it easier for James to, as they say, get his shit together. He told his parents about getting sacked (finally) and had them help him look for a real job at the Ministry. Granted, he would probably hate it but at least he would earn a decent amount of spending money. He was spending a lot of time with Rose lately and she was teaching him to always focus on the silver lining. At first it sounded like a load of rubbish, but once he actually listened to her, some of it made sense.

Fred was still dating Scorpius's cousin and loved to use it as an excuse to make the blonde uncomfortable. James often joined in in the teasing and it felt nice to poke fun at someone without intending on seriously wounding their feelings. Hugo and Lily teased him about this once by saying that things are a lot more relaxing if you're not a hateful psychopath.

James thought 'psychopath' was a bit of a strong word, but didn't argue. Instead, he bid them all farewell and paid a visit to the cute girl who worked at the coffee shop that Fred always drags him to. Now that he thought about it, things were really starting to look up for him.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is it, everyone! It's the last chapter of The Love Shack! It's actually more of a really short epilogue and I intended it to be longer, but I decided that this fits as an ending quite nicely. It wraps up everything and focuses more on James, who, even though it may not seem like it, is the main character and focus of the story. Anyway, I hope you had as much reading as I had writing!**

**-Rachel**


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